German Chancellor Angela Merkel visits Greece on Oct. 9 for the first time since the euro-zone crisis began. In Athens, about 7,000 police officers seek to contain protesters who blame Germany for the country’s economic woes.

Caption

German Chancellor Angela Merkel visits Greece on Oct. 9 for the first time since the euro-zone crisis began. In Athens, about 7,000 police officers seek to contain protesters who blame Germany for the country’s economic woes.

Oct. 9, 2012Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras welcomes German Chancellor Angela Merkel before their meeting in Athens. Merkel is on her first visit to Greece since the debt crisis erupted almost three years ago, as protesters geared up for a major show of discontent against painful austerity cuts.Aris Messinis/AFP/Getty Images

ATHENS — Amid a massive security operation that locked down much of this ancient capital, German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Tuesday staged a gutsy foray into the heart of Europe’s debt crisis. If her protest-plagued trip shined a spotlight on struggling Greece, it also highlighted a problem for a resurgent Germany: its image.

As Europe’s largest and healthiest economy, Germany has risen to the height of its post-World War II power over the past three years, effectively serving as the region’s paymaster through a series of debt-crisis bailouts. As Germany has led demands for harsh cuts in exchange for cash, Merkel has emerged as Europe’s symbol of austerity.

A country keenly attuned to any perception of itself as aggressor, Germany witnessed the price of its rising clout Tuesday as 7,000 police officers sought to contain tens of thousands of chanting demonstrators who at least partly blame Berlin for Greece’s economic nightmare of soaring unemployment and cascading bankruptcies.

Berlin is also coping with the inevitable memories of the last time German influence reigned on the continent. Virtually no one here or elsewhere in Europe fears a renewed military threat from Germany, a modern nation that still largely clings to a cathartic form of pseudo-pacifism. Yet an undercurrent of distrust inflamed by the present is nevertheless increasingly evident.

Nowhere is that more true than here in Greece, where rising resentment underscores the obstacles ahead for Merkel’s quest for a more thoroughly integrated European Union. With Germany’s weight poised to grow even further, Merkel sought to show solidarity with the Greeks here, hailing how far they’ve come and commiserating with their “suffering.” But with signs growing that Greece will not meet bailout demands without dramatically accelerated cuts or watered-down loan conditions, she gave no sign Berlin was willing to be more lenient. If Greece doesn’t deal with its debt problems now, she said, “they will only resurface in a more dramatic way.”

For left-wing parties that often rail against the United States, Germany has already become the new target here. Anti-Merkel chants echoed through the streets of Athens on Tuesday, and the searing scent of tear gas lingered. A walkout by state workers temporarily shuttered schools, hospitals and transit stations. Some protesters carried banners depicting the German chancellor in an SS uniform, under the words, “No to the Fourth Reich.”

Along with the usual cast of protesters were well-dressed, middle-class Greeks such as Monolis and Anastasia Moraitis. The two retirees, in their mid-60s, have seen their pensions cut 35 percent under several waves of German-backed austerity here, and they came out to vent their rage.

“I believe the Germans have been and still are the enemies of the Greeks,” said Monolis Moraitis as his wife and other bystanders nodded in agreement.

For Prime Minister Antonis Samaras, who needs a deal with international lenders before the government runs out of cash in late November, Merkel’s visit amounted to a strong show of support. Samaras called Merkel “a friend,” lauding her trip for “turning a new page” in what have been tense Greek-German relations. “Though the Greek people are bleeding, we are determined to stay in the euro,” he said.

His government is desperately seeking the release of the next bailout payment of $40 billion, delayed by disputes over whether Greece’s debt is sustainable and how quickly fresh cuts can be made. The International Monetary Fund has said it will not contribute any more to an existing bailout plan for the country, leaving Germany and other European nations to foot the bill — a role German taxpayers are tiring of.

But there is no question the onerous terms of the current debt deal have revived bitter old feelings. An independent Greek commission has been named to study the question of whether Germany still owes Greece reparations for the brutal Nazi occupation from 1941 to 1944. To help fund Greece’s 2013 budget, some Greek politicians have argued that Athens should demand repayment of a forced loan made to the Nazis in 1941.

‘Germany owes Greece’

To understand the anger coursing through parts of Greece so many decades after World War II, consider the case of Distomo, a tiny hamlet 86 miles north of Athens. Its main street, Sacrifice Road, earned its name after the events of June 10, 1944, when the Nazis came calling.

In what is thought to have been retribution for attacks by the Greek resistance, Nazi occupiers went door to door starting at 4 p.m., rounding up locals and systematically massacring 218 victims ranging from a 90-year-old grandmother to a 1-month-old child. The town gathers every year to remember what happened that day: how the Nazis gutted a pregnant woman, how they butchered the village priest.

After the reunification of Germany in 1990, locals sued the new German state for individual compensation. Armed with a Greek court ruling, they tried to seize the land of Germany’s Goethe-Institut in Athens in 2000. A subsequent ruling struck down the decision in the town’s favor, but for many here and across Greece, one point remains clear.

“Greece does not owe Germany. Germany owes Greece,” said Lucas Papachristou, 74, Distomo’s former mayor who was 6 at the time of the massacre.

In the 1960s, Germany paid out roughly $74 million to Greek victims of Nazi crimes. But many here argue that failed to settle the issue, with the newly appointed commission of academics, economists and government officials now reviewing archives and records to come up with what they describe as a more accurate figure.

Yet in Distomo, perhaps of more concern to Germany than the elderly with bitter recollections are the likes of 16-year-olds like Asteria Pandeska and Maria Kelermeni. Both say they have come to like many modern-day Germans, a people they largely know through exchange students at their high school. But both girls share a distrust of the German state and its motivations, and they are furious about the stereotypes of Greeks as lazy and profligate that have flown from the pages of German tabloids and looser-lipped politicians in Berlin.

In addition, they blame Merkel for foisting tough austerity on Greece, a country where after three years of crisis, 68,000 businesses have gone bankrupt and one in four Greeks is out of work.

“We hear the Germans make negative comments about the Greeks, as if we are inferior to them because we have financial problems,” Pandeska said. “I feel those are echoes of the past.”

Kelermeni added: “Of course, she can’t, but I wish Angela Merkel could walk the streets of Athens on Tuesday and see the suffering Germany is causing us today. I wish she could see just how harsh she is being with our country.”

Tough words, heavy toll

The efforts in Greece aimed at revisiting the past are viewed at least in part as political posturing in a broken country reaching for whatever leverage it can find in tough bailout negotiations. And in their most candid moments, many here concede that the woes are just as much Greece’s fault given its deeply troubled political class, its culture of tax evasion and the wild overspending in this Mediterranean nation after adoption of the euro in 2001.

Merkel is facing intense pressure at home to be tough with the Greeks and to spell out in firm terms that there is no alternative to more pain if they want to stay on the euro. Yet in recent months, Merkel has seemed to tone down her rhetoric on Germany’s troubled neighbors. While insisting countries like Greece must continue making hard adjustments, she has increasingly acknowledged the heavy toll that cuts are taking.

And Greeks such as Panagiotis Korliras, a leading economist here, say Merkel should be given substantial credit for facing her toughest critics by visiting Athens. Merkel’s trip Tuesday forced Korliras to close his office because of the anti-Merkel protests called in nearby Syntagma Square. But he is pleased that she decided to visit. It shows, he said, that Merkel is backing up her public words — she has repeatedly said she wants to see Greece stay in the euro zone — with deeds.

“It’s a signal that somehow, Germany will keep Greece safely in the euro,” Korliras said before Merkel’s arrival. “She’s coming to say, ‘Help us help you.’ ”

Elinda Labropoulou in Athens and Howard Schneider in Washington contributed to this report.

{comment_count=null, correction_html=, keywords=[angela merkel greece, greece germany wwii, greece germany nazis, europe germany greece, europe economic crisis germany greece, antonis samaras, merkel samaras], web_headline=null, deck=, site_service={parent=/world, in_the_news={in_the_news_usefeature=sitewide, in_the_news_usebasepage=/in-the-news-forsections/, in_the_news_usesectionbar=true}, social={archives=null, twitter=https://twitter.com/postworldnews, rss=http://feeds.washingtonpost.com/rss/world/europe, facebook=https://www.facebook.com/washingtonpostworld}, site_topper={social_link_display_order=null, display_social_links=null, custom_links_highlight=null, site_logo_image=null, custom_links=[WorldViews^http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/, Africa^http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/africa/, Americas^http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/americas/, Asia^http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia-pacific/, Middle East^http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle-east/, National Security^http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/, Foreign Correspondents^http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/world/washington-post-foreign-correspondents/], site_background_image=null}, site={pagebuilder_path_for_native_apps=/world/europe/, site_url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/, site_keywords=Europe News,European News,News in Europe,News from Europe,Europe News Washington Post,European News Washington Post,european business news,european financial information,european news,european finance news,european political news,breaking european news,european headlines,global business news, site_about=null, site_description=The Washington Post provides the latest information and analysis on UK and European news. Includes news from the European Union, European commission news and European parliament news., site_theme=normal, site_title=Europe, site_tagline=null}, navigation={nav_title=Europe, display_in_top_strip=false, nav_display=true}, _admin={tracking_node=/world/europe, alias_ids=[/world/europe, /europe], commercial_node=/world/europe, default_content=/WashingtonPost/Production/Digital/Queries/site-service/world/europe-stream}, inactive=false, name=Europe, story_list={display_social_share_buttons=null, social_share_buttons=null, story_list_content={}}, _id=/world/europe, ancestors=[/world], order=2004}, source=The Washington Post, taxonomy={keywords=[angela merkel greece, greece germany wwii, greece germany nazis, europe germany greece, europe economic crisis germany greece, antonis samaras, merkel samaras], categories=null, custom_taxonomy=null, tags=[]}, type=article, uuid=5d39d49c-115d-11e2-9a39-1f5a7f6fe945, primary_slot={resize_base=https://img.washingtonpost.com/rf/, gallery_caption=German Chancellor Angela Merkel visits Greece on Oct. 9 for the first time since the euro-zone crisis began. In Athens, about 7,000 police officers seek to contain protesters who blame Germany for the country’s economic woes., caption=German Chancellor Angela Merkel visits Greece on Oct. 9 for the first time since the euro-zone crisis began. In Athens, about 7,000 police officers seek to contain protesters who blame Germany for the country’s economic woes., photo_url=https://img.washingtonpost.com/rw/2010-2019/WashingtonPost/2012/10/09/National-Economy/Images/514496736-1255.jpg, id=57fa7d8ab9ecfd7dae06be1606c62e79eafbcc12, title=In Greece, demonstrators protest amid Merkel visit, type=gallery, uuid=6a19cc8c-1205-11e2-be82-c3411b7680a9, ssi_html=<link href="//www.washingtonpost.com/pb/gr/c/ssiSingle/r0DtBpwKo8Tvoq/css/d9cb19704f.css?_=67e56" rel="stylesheet"/> <link href="//www.washingtonpost.com/pb/gr/p/ssiSingle/r0DtBpwKo8Tvoq/style.css?_=1f771" rel="stylesheet"/> <script>window.pbDeferredSSISingle=window.pbDeferredSSISingle||new Array;</script> <div class="pb-container"> <div class="pb-feature-ssi-single pb-f-theme-normal pb-f-dehydrate-false pb-f-async-false pb-3 pb-feature pb-layout-item pb-f-gallery-gallery" data-chain-name="no-name" data-feature-name="no-name" data-feature-id="gallery/gallery" data-pb-fingerprint="0fh3taXsipu" data-pb-feature-config="gallery/gallery" id="fVVe782Ko8Tvoq"> <div class="wp-volt-gal unprocessed wp-volt-gal-p-end-circular wp-volt-gal-promo-stub wp-volt-gal-on-promo-slide wp-volt-gal-embed-promo wp-volt-gal-embed-promo-hide" data-title="In Greece, demonstrators protest amid Merkel visit" data-commercial-node="business/economy" data-section="business" data-subsection="economy" data-category="National-Economy" data-published="1349791378" data-first-published="1349791378" data-slug="in-greece-demonstrators-protest-amid-merkel-visit" data-uuid="6a19cc8c-1205-11e2-be82-c3411b7680a9" data-permalink="http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/in-greece-demonstrators-protest-amid-merkel-visit/2012/10/09/6a19cc8c-1205-11e2-be82-c3411b7680a9_gallery.html" data-show-preroll="true" data-preroll-zone="" data-show-interstitials="true" data-debug="false" data-keywords="[angela merkel visits greece, greek protests, germany, greece, austerity measures, merkel, german chancellor merkel, euro crisis, euro-zone crisis, euro debt crisis, merkel faces protests, greek riot police, ]" data-blurb="German Chancellor Angela Merkel visits Greece on Oct. 9 for the first time since the euro-zone crisis began. In Athens, about 7,000 police officers seek to contain protesters who blame Germany for the country’s economic woes."> <div class="wp-volt-gal-bar"> <div class="wp-volt-gal-nav"> <div class="wp-volt-gal-nav-full-gal"><a href="" data-pb-field="custom.navPromoLabel" data-pb-url-field="custom.navPromoLink" data-pb-placeholder="View More Label"></a></div> <div class="wp-volt-gal-nav-number"><span class="wp-volt-gal-nav-number-current">1</span> of 15</span></div> <div class="wp-volt-gal-nav-buttons"> <div class="wp-volt-gal-nav-button wp-volt-gal-nav-prev"></div> <div class="wp-volt-gal-nav-button wp-volt-gal-nav-next"></div> </div> </div> <div class="wp-volt-gal-buttons"> <div class="wp-volt-gal-button wp-volt-gal-button-fullscreen">Full Screen</div> <div class="wp-volt-gal-button wp-volt-gal-button-autoplay">Autoplay</div> <div class="wp-volt-gal-bar-pie"></div> <div class="wp-volt-gal-button wp-volt-gal-button-close">Close</div> </div> </div> <div class="wp-volt-gal-main"> <div class="wp-volt-gal-photos"> <div class="wp-volt-gal-slide wp-volt-gal-photo" data-uuid="9c767cf6-1206-11e2-be82-c3411b7680a9" data-caption="Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras welcomes German Chancellor Angela Merkel before their meeting in Athens. Merkel is on her first visit to Greece since the debt crisis erupted almost three years ago, as protesters geared up for a major show of discontent against painful austerity cuts." data-buy="false" data-credit="Aris Messinis/AFP/Getty Images" data-title="Oct. 9, 2012" data-max-width="4928" data-image="https://www.washingtonpost.com/rw/2010-2019/WashingtonPost/2012/10/09/National-Economy/Images/514495462.jpg?env=A" data-ratio="1.502"> <div class='wp-volt-gal-slide-gal-title'></div> </div> <div class="wp-volt-gal-slide wp-volt-gal-photo" data-uuid="5e6a753e-1206-11e2-be82-c3411b7680a9" data-caption="The Acropolis is seen during the sun set in Athens prior to a union anti-austerity rally the day before the visit by Merkel. The authorities are keen to prevent embarrassing riots. More than 7,000 police will be on security duty in the capital from early Tuesday, while public gatherings will be banned in much of the city center. The ban will not affect the main protests but will prevent demonstrators from reaching the German Embassy, where a populist right-wing party was planning a protest." data-buy="false" data-credit="Dimitri Messinis/AP" data-title="Oct. 8, 2012" data-max-width="4500" data-image="https://www.washingtonpost.com/rw/2010-2019/WashingtonPost/2012/10/09/National-Economy/Images/APTOPIX_Greece_Financial_Crisis_0d371.jpg?env=A" data-ratio="2.08"> </div> <div class="wp-volt-gal-slide wp-volt-gal-photo" data-uuid="6fd52aae-1205-11e2-be82-c3411b7680a9" data-caption="Greek security personnel position a barrier across a street near the Parliament building in Athens. Merkel, who meets Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras and President Karolos Papoulias in Athens on Tuesday during a six-hour visit, will probably reinforce statements from European finance ministers yesterday saluting Greece&#039;s determination to trim its budget while demanding further steps to reshape its economy." data-buy="false" data-credit="Kostas Tsironis/Bloomberg News" data-title="Oct. 9, 2012" data-max-width="4000" data-image="https://www.washingtonpost.com/rw/2010-2019/WashingtonPost/2012/10/09/National-Economy/Images/1106625.jpg?env=A" data-ratio="1.5"> </div> <div class="wp-volt-gal-slide wp-volt-gal-photo" data-uuid="0b06d38c-1216-11e2-be82-c3411b7680a9" data-caption="Protesters clash with riot police protecting the Greek Parliament in Athens during a demonstration against Merkel’s visit. Police fired tear gas to disperse protesters who tried to storm a steel barricade near Parliament as Merkel held meetings with Greek leaders a few blocks away." data-buy="false" data-credit="Louisa Gouliamaki/AFP/Getty Images" data-title="Oct. 9. 2012" data-max-width="4256" data-image="https://www.washingtonpost.com/rw/2010-2019/WashingtonPost/2012/10/09/National-Economy/Images/514496736.jpg?env=A" data-ratio="1.503"> </div> <div class="wp-volt-gal-slide wp-volt-gal-photo" data-uuid="28ea0e64-1216-11e2-be82-c3411b7680a9" data-caption="Demonstrators dressed as Nazi soldiers wave a Nazi flag as they ride in an open-top car in Syntagma Square in Athens to protest Merkel&#039;s visit." data-buy="false" data-credit="Yannis Behrakis/Reuters" data-title="Oct. 9. 2012 " data-max-width="3500" data-image="https://www.washingtonpost.com/rw/2010-2019/WashingtonPost/2012/10/09/National-Economy/Images/2012-10-09T122944Z_01_JMR19_RTRIDSP_3_GREECE-MERKEL.jpg?env=A" data-ratio="1.437"> </div> <div class="wp-volt-gal-slide wp-volt-gal-photo" data-uuid="1f2afb4a-1216-11e2-be82-c3411b7680a9" data-caption="The deep resentment on display in Greece underscored the obstacles ahead for Merkel’s quest for a more thoroughly integrated European Union. Merkel’s trip has been portrayed in Germany as part of a charm offensive to soften her regional image." data-buy="false" data-credit="Yannis Behrakis/Reuters" data-title="Oct. 9, 2012 " data-max-width="2249" data-image="https://www.washingtonpost.com/rw/2010-2019/WashingtonPost/2012/10/09/National-Economy/Images/2012-10-09T125506Z_01_JMR24_RTRIDSP_3_GREECE-MERKEL.jpg?env=A" data-ratio="1.765"> </div> <div class="wp-volt-gal-slide wp-volt-gal-photo" data-uuid="8bc47314-1205-11e2-be82-c3411b7680a9" data-caption="Protesters stand with a placard reading &#034;Frau Merkel Get Out,&#034; or “Mrs. Merkel Get Out,” outside the Greek Parliament building." data-buy="false" data-credit="Kostas Tsironis/Bloomberg News" data-title="Oct. 9, 2012" data-max-width="4000" data-image="https://www.washingtonpost.com/rw/2010-2019/WashingtonPost/2012/10/09/National-Economy/Images/1106619.jpg?env=A" data-ratio="1.5"> </div> <div class="wp-volt-gal-slide wp-volt-gal-photo" data-uuid="7351a34e-1186-11e2-be82-c3411b7680a9" data-caption="Guards stand during an anti-austerity protest ahead of a visit by Merkel. Greece&#039;s need for bailouts and the German-led conditions attached to the emergency loans have made Merkel the face of austerity to Greeks." data-buy="false" data-credit="Kostas Tsironis/Bloomberg News" data-title="Oct. 8, 2012" data-max-width="3000" data-image="https://www.washingtonpost.com/rw/2010-2019/WashingtonPost/2012/10/08/Foreign/Images/1106161.jpg?env=A" data-ratio="1.527"> </div> <div class="wp-volt-gal-slide wp-volt-gal-photo" data-uuid="9b24197c-1205-11e2-be82-c3411b7680a9" data-caption="An anti-austerity protester waves a banner during a rally ahead of Merkel&#039;s visit." data-buy="false" data-credit="Kostas Tsironis/Bloomberg News" data-title="Oct. 8, 2012" data-max-width="3000" data-image="https://www.washingtonpost.com/rw/2010-2019/WashingtonPost/2012/10/09/National-Economy/Images/1106179.jpg?env=A" data-ratio="1.45"> </div> <div class="wp-volt-gal-slide wp-volt-gal-photo" data-uuid="2dd5160e-1206-11e2-be82-c3411b7680a9" data-caption="A pensioner pushes riot police officers during scuffles between protesting pensioners and police near the E.U. offices in Athens. About 500 pensioners participated in an anti-austerity march." data-buy="false" data-credit="Yannis Behrakis/Reuters" data-title="Oct. 8, 2012" data-max-width="3452" data-image="https://www.washingtonpost.com/rw/2010-2019/WashingtonPost/2012/10/09/National-Economy/Images/2012-10-08T105116Z_01_YAN04_RTRIDSP_3_GREECE.jpg?env=A" data-ratio="1.453"> </div> <div class="wp-volt-gal-slide wp-volt-gal-photo" data-uuid="3bcfa062-1206-11e2-be82-c3411b7680a9" data-caption="Pensioners burn an E.U. flag during a march toward the E.U. offices in central Athens." data-buy="false" data-credit="Yannis Behrakis/Reuters" data-title="Oct. 8, 2012" data-max-width="3500" data-image="https://www.washingtonpost.com/rw/2010-2019/WashingtonPost/2012/10/09/National-Economy/Images/2012-10-08T111159Z_01_YAN09_RTRIDSP_3_GREECE.jpg?env=A" data-ratio="1.5"> </div> <div class="wp-volt-gal-slide wp-volt-gal-photo" data-uuid="6c469ae6-1186-11e2-be82-c3411b7680a9" data-caption="Protesters holding banners rally outside the Greek Parliament in Athens a day before Merkel&#039;s visit. If her protest-plagued trip shined a spotlight on struggling Greece, it also highlighted a problem for a resurgent Germany: its image." data-buy="false" data-credit="Kostas Tsironis/Bloomberg News" data-title="Oct. 8, 2012" data-max-width="3000" data-image="https://www.washingtonpost.com/rw/2010-2019/WashingtonPost/2012/10/08/Foreign/Images/1106175.jpg?env=A" data-ratio="1.5"> </div> <div class="wp-volt-gal-slide wp-volt-gal-photo" data-uuid="69533616-1206-11e2-be82-c3411b7680a9" data-caption="Protesters holding banners rally outside the Greek Parliament in Athens during a union anti-austerity rally. Banners read, &#034;Merkel don&#039;t cry,&#034; &#034;Sabotage to the German products&#034; and &#034;Resist against the 4th Reich.&#034;" data-buy="false" data-credit="Thanassis Stavrakis/AP" data-title="Oct. 8, 2012" data-max-width="4500" data-image="https://www.washingtonpost.com/rw/2010-2019/WashingtonPost/2012/10/09/National-Economy/Images/Greece_Financial_Crisis_0e9b0.jpg?env=A" data-ratio="1.604"> </div> <div class="wp-volt-gal-slide wp-volt-gal-photo" data-uuid="85aa1294-1206-11e2-be82-c3411b7680a9" data-caption="Civilians are detained as a precaution by riot police before a protest in Athens. The German chancellor’s five-hour stop is seen by the government as a historic boost for the country&#039;s future in Europe&#039;s shared currency but by protesters as a harbinger of more austerity and hardship." data-buy="false" data-credit="Dimitri Messinis/AP" data-title="Oct. 9, 2012" data-max-width="4500" data-image="https://www.washingtonpost.com/rw/2010-2019/WashingtonPost/2012/10/09/National-Economy/Images/Greece_Financial_Crisis_Merkel_0606c.jpg?env=A" data-ratio="1.622"> </div> <div class="wp-volt-gal-slide wp-volt-gal-photo" data-uuid="c82d1b48-1215-11e2-be82-c3411b7680a9" data-caption="The leader of the main opposition party Syriza, Alexis Tsipras, is greeted by supporters during a protest in Athens. With Germany’s weight poised to grow even further, the right wing Independent Greeks, barred from the German Embassy by police, was set to rally in front of the Temple of Zeus to protest “the transformation of Greece into a German protectorate.”" data-buy="false" data-credit="Lefteris Pitarakis/AP" data-title="Oct. 9, 2012 " data-max-width="4500" data-image="https://www.washingtonpost.com/rw/2010-2019/WashingtonPost/2012/10/09/National-Economy/Images/APTOPIX_Greece_Financial_Crisis_Merkel_02f03.jpg?env=A" data-ratio="1.619"> </div> </div> <div class="wp-volt-gal-title-overlay"> <div class="wp-volt-gal-title-backdrop"></div> <div class="wp-volt-gal-title-gradient"></div> <div class="wp-volt-gal-title-holder"> <div class="wp-volt-gal-title-main"></div> <div class="wp-volt-gal-title-subtitle"></div> </div> </div> <div class="wp-volt-gal-ad" data-ads="true"> <div class="wp-volt-gal-ad-wrap"> <wp-ad id="slug_bigbox_gallery" data-manual-render="true"></wp-ad> </div> <div class="wp-volt-gal-ad-skip"> <div class="wp-volt-gal-ad-pie"></div> <div class="wp-volt-gal-ad-skiptext">Skip Ad</div> </div> </div> <div class="wp-volt-gal-close-fullscreen"><i class="close">&#215;</i></div> <div class="wp-volt-gal-main-nav wp-volt-gal-main-nav-prev"><i class="fa fa-angle-left"></i></div> <div class="wp-volt-gal-main-nav wp-volt-gal-main-nav-zoom"></div> <div class="wp-volt-gal-main-nav wp-volt-gal-main-nav-next"><i class="fa fa-angle-right"></i></div> <div class="wp-volt-gal-preroll"> <div class="wp-volt-gal-preroll-video"></div> <div class="wp-volt-gal-preroll-text"></div> </div> </div> <div class="wp-volt-gal-embed-promo-container"> <div class="wp-volt-gal-embed-promo-container-table"> <div class="wp-volt-gal-embed-promo-top"><span class="cell">In Greece, demonstrators protest amid Merkel visit</span></div> <div class="wp-volt-gal-embed-promo-mid"> <div class="cell"> <div class="wp-volt-gal-embed-promo-mid-img-container"> <img alt="" src="https://img.washingtonpost.com/rf/image_606w/2010-2019/WashingtonPost/2012/10/09/National-Economy/Images/514496736-1255.jpg"/> </div> <div class="wp-volt-gal-embed-promo-mid-label"><i class="fa fa-camera"></i>View Photos</div> </div> </div> <div class="wp-volt-gal-embed-promo-bottom"><span class="cell">German Chancellor Angela Merkel visits Greece on Oct. 9 for the first time since the euro-zone crisis began. In Athens, about 7,000 police officers seek to contain protesters who blame Germany for the country’s economic woes.</span></div> </div> </div> <div class="wp-volt-gal-details"> <div class="wp-volt-gal-details-handle">Caption</div> <div class="wp-volt-gal-details-wrap"> <div class="wp-volt-gal-details-main"> <div class="wp-volt-gal-blurb">German Chancellor Angela Merkel visits Greece on Oct. 9 for the first time since the euro-zone crisis began. In Athens, about 7,000 police officers seek to contain protesters who blame Germany for the country’s economic woes.</div> <div class="wp-volt-gal-caption"> <span class="wp-volt-gal-caption-title">Oct. 9, 2012</span> <span class="wp-volt-gal-caption-text">Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras welcomes German Chancellor Angela Merkel before their meeting in Athens. Merkel is on her first visit to Greece since the debt crisis erupted almost three years ago, as protesters geared up for a major show of discontent against painful austerity cuts.</span> <span class="wp-volt-gal-caption-credit">Aris Messinis/AFP/Getty Images</span> </div> <a class="wp-volt-gal-buy-link" href="#" target="_blank">Buy Photo</a> </div> </div> </div> <div class="wp-volt-gal-templates"> <div class="wp-volt-gal-pie"> <div class="wp-volt-gal-pie-anim wp-volt-gal-pie-inner wp-volt-gal-pie-spinner"></div> <div class="wp-volt-gal-pie-anim wp-volt-gal-pie-inner wp-volt-gal-pie-filler"></div> <div class="wp-volt-gal-pie-anim wp-volt-gal-pie-mask"></div> </div> <div class="wp-volt-gal-interstitial-text">Wait 1 second to continue.</div> </div> </div> <style>.wp-volt-gal-preroll-video{width:100%;height:100%}</style> </div> </div> <div class="clear"></div> <script>(function(){var __e=window.__e||[],ssiSingleFooter={initComplete:false,init:function(){pbDeferredSSISingle.push("https://d2p9l91d5g68ru.cloudfront.net/PrerollPlugin/PrerollPlugin.min.js");pbDeferredSSISingle.push("//www.washingtonpost.com/pb/gr/p/ssiSingle/r0DtBpwKo8Tvoq/hi-pri-render.js?_\x3d1f771");pbDeferredSSISingle.push("//www.washingtonpost.com/pb/gr/p/ssiSingle/r0DtBpwKo8Tvoq/render.js?_\x3d1f771");pbDeferredSSISingle.push("//www.washingtonpost.com/pb/gr/p/ssiSingle/r0DtBpwKo8Tvoq/instance.js?_\x3d1f771"); wp_import(pbDeferredSSISingle).always(function(){initComplete=true})}};if(typeof wp_pb.StaticMethods=="undefined"||typeof wp_pb.StaticMethods.isPageHydrated=="undefined"||wp_pb.StaticMethods.isPageHydrated())if(!ssiSingleFooter.initComplete&&(document.readyState=="interactive"||document.readyState=="complete"))ssiSingleFooter.init();else document.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded",function(){ssiSingleFooter.init()});__e.push(["shamble",function(){ssiSingleFooter.init()}])})();</script>, caption_line=German Chancellor Angela Merkel visits Greece on Oct. 9 for the first time since the euro-zone crisis began. In Athens, about 7,000 police officers seek to contain protesters who blame Germany for the country’s economic woes. , url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/in-greece-demonstrators-protest-amid-merkel-visit/2012/10/09/6a19cc8c-1205-11e2-be82-c3411b7680a9_gallery.html, photo_path=/2010-2019/WashingtonPost/2012/10/09/National-Economy/Images/514496736-1255.jpg}, tracking={ugc={default_sort=, comments_source=washpost.com, moderation_required=false, allow_comments=true, is_ugc_gallery=false, display_comments=true, allow_photos=false, default_tab=, max_items_to_display_top=3, allow_videos=false, stream_id=, max_items_to_display=15, comments_period=14}, in_url_headline=germany-faces-image-problem-in-greece-thanks-to-its-growing-clout, content_category=Foreign, show_comments=true, section={subsection=europe, section=world}, show_ads=true, authors=Anthony Faiola}, commentConfig={includereport=true, canvas_permalink_id=washpost.com/8bvh5zpd9k, markerdisplay=post_commenter:Post Commenter|staff:Post Writer|top_commenter:Post Forum|top_local:Washingtologist|top_sports:SuperFan|fact_checker:Fact Checker|post_recommended:Post Recommended|world_watcher:World Watcher|cultuer_connoisseur:Culture Connoisseur|weather_watcher:Capital Weather Watcher|post_contributor:Post Contributor, defaulttab=all, includerecommend=true, source=washpost.com, canvas_allcomments_app_instance=6634zxcgfd, includereply=true, includesorts=true, includevoteofftopic=false, moderationrequired=false, includeverifiedcommenters=true, canvas_permalink_app_instance=m6yzjj840m, comments_period=14, commentmaxlength=2000, defaultsort=reverseChronological, canvas_allcomments_id=washpost.com/km4ey0dajm, allow_comments=true, includeshare=true, display_comments=true, allow_photos=false, allow_videos=false, display_ugc_photos=false, childrenitemsperpage=3, includeheader=true, display_more=true, includefeaturenotification=false, maxitemstop=3, maxitems=5, includepermalink=false, includepause=true}, short_url=, path=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/germany-faces-image-problem-in-greece-thanks-to-its-growing-clout/2012/10/09/5d39d49c-115d-11e2-9a39-1f5a7f6fe945_story.html, display_summary={date=1349797860, blurb=As Angela Merkel visits Greece, Germany is reviled as Europe’s fiscal disciplinarian., headline=null}, editors_picks=null, html=<article class="paywall" itemprop="articleBody"> <p> <span class="dateline">ATHENS — </span>Amid a massive security operation that locked down much of this ancient capital, <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/as-germany-rises-frau-nein-says-yes/2012/09/11/0787ce84-f9be-11e1-a0a1-b07778c66e04_story.html">German Chancellor Angela Merkel</a> on Tuesday staged a gutsy foray into the heart of Europe’s debt crisis. If her protest-plagued trip shined a spotlight on struggling Greece, it also highlighted a problem for a resurgent Germany: its image. </p> <p>As Europe’s largest and healthiest economy, Germany has risen to the height of its post-World War II power over the past three years, effectively serving as the region’s paymaster through a series of debt-crisis bailouts. As Germany has led demands for harsh cuts in exchange for cash, Merkel has emerged as Europe’s symbol of austerity. </p> <p>A country keenly attuned to any perception of itself as aggressor, Germany witnessed the price of its rising clout Tuesday as 7,000 police officers sought to contain tens of thousands of chanting demonstrators who at least partly blame Berlin for Greece’s economic nightmare of soaring unemployment and cascading bankruptcies.</p> <p>Berlin is also coping with the inevitable memories of the last time German influence reigned on the continent. Virtually no one here or elsewhere in Europe fears a renewed military threat from Germany, a modern nation that still largely clings to a cathartic form of pseudo-pacifism. Yet an undercurrent of distrust inflamed by the present is nevertheless increasingly evident.</p> <p>Nowhere is that more true than here in Greece, where rising resentment underscores the obstacles ahead for Merkel’s quest for a more thoroughly integrated European Union. With Germany’s weight poised to grow even further, Merkel sought to show solidarity with the Greeks here, hailing how far they’ve come and commiserating with their “suffering.” But with signs growing that Greece will not meet bailout demands without dramatically accelerated cuts or watered-down loan conditions, she gave no sign Berlin was willing to be more lenient. If Greece doesn’t deal with its debt problems now, she said, “they will only resurface in a more dramatic way.”</p><div></div> <p>For left-wing parties that often rail against the United States, Germany has already become the new target here. Anti-Merkel chants echoed through the streets of Athens on Tuesday, and the searing scent of tear gas lingered. A walkout by state workers temporarily shuttered schools, hospitals and transit stations. Some protesters carried banners depicting the German chancellor in an SS uniform, under the words, “No to the Fourth Reich.”</p> <p>Along with the usual cast of protesters were well-dressed, middle-class Greeks such as Monolis and Anastasia Moraitis. The two retirees, in their mid-60s, have seen their pensions cut 35 percent under several waves of German-backed austerity here, and they came out to vent their rage.</p> <p>“I believe the Germans have been and still are the enemies of the Greeks,” said Monolis Moraitis as his wife and other bystanders nodded in agreement.</p> <p>For Prime Minister Antonis Samaras, who needs a deal with international lenders before the government runs out of cash in late November, Merkel’s visit amounted to a strong show of support. Samaras called Merkel “a friend,” lauding her trip for “turning a new page” in what have been tense Greek-German relations. “Though the Greek people are bleeding, we are determined to stay in the euro,” he said.</p> <p>His government is desperately seeking the release of <a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-10-06/greece-s-coalition-government-troika-pause-on-budget-talks.html">the next bailout payment of $40 billion</a>, delayed by disputes over whether Greece’s debt is sustainable and how quickly fresh cuts can be made. The International Monetary Fund has said it will not contribute any more to an existing bailout plan for the country, leaving Germany and other European nations to foot the bill — a role German taxpayers are tiring of.</p> <p>But there is no question the onerous terms of the current debt deal have revived bitter old feelings. An independent Greek commission has been named to study the question of whether Germany still owes Greece reparations for the brutal Nazi occupation from 1941 to 1944. To help fund Greece’s 2013 budget, some Greek politicians have argued that Athens should demand repayment of a forced loan made to the Nazis in 1941.</p> <div class="subhead">‘Germany owes Greece’</div> <p>To understand the anger coursing through parts of Greece so many decades after World War II, consider the case of Distomo, a tiny hamlet 86 miles north of Athens. Its main street, Sacrifice Road, earned its name after the events of June 10, 1944, when the Nazis came calling.</p><div></div> <p>In what is thought to have been retribution for attacks by the Greek resistance, Nazi occupiers went door to door starting at 4 p.m., rounding up locals and systematically massacring 218 victims ranging from a 90-year-old grandmother to a 1-month-old child. The town gathers every year to remember what happened that day: how the Nazis gutted a pregnant woman, how they butchered the village priest.</p> <p>After the reunification of Germany in 1990, locals sued the new German state for individual compensation. Armed with a Greek court ruling, they tried to seize the land of Germany’s Goethe-Institut in Athens in 2000. A subsequent ruling struck down the decision in the town’s favor, but for many here and across Greece, one point remains clear.</p> <p>“Greece does not owe Germany. Germany owes Greece,” said Lucas Papachristou, 74, Distomo’s former mayor who was 6 at the time of the massacre.</p> <p>In the 1960s, Germany paid out roughly $74 million to Greek victims of Nazi crimes. But many here argue that failed to settle the issue, with the newly appointed commission of academics, economists and government officials now reviewing archives and records to come up with what they describe as a more accurate figure.</p> <p>Yet in Distomo, perhaps of more concern to Germany than the elderly with bitter recollections are the likes of 16-year-olds like Asteria Pandeska and Maria Kelermeni. Both say they have come to like many modern-day Germans, a people they largely know through exchange students at their high school. But both girls share a distrust of the German state and its motivations, and they are furious about the stereotypes of Greeks as lazy and profligate that have flown from the pages of German tabloids and looser-lipped politicians in Berlin.</p> <p>In addition, they blame Merkel for foisting tough austerity on Greece, a country where after three years of crisis, 68,000 businesses have gone bankrupt and one in four Greeks is out of work.</p> <p>“We hear the Germans make negative comments about the Greeks, as if we are inferior to them because we have financial problems,” Pandeska said. “I feel those are echoes of the past.”</p> <p>Kelermeni added: “Of course, she can’t, but I wish Angela Merkel could walk the streets of Athens on Tuesday and see the suffering Germany is causing us today. I wish she could see just how harsh she is being with our country.”</p> <div class="subhead">Tough words, heavy toll</div> <p>The efforts in Greece aimed at revisiting the past are viewed at least in part as political posturing in a broken country reaching for whatever leverage it can find in tough bailout negotiations. And in their most candid moments, many here concede that the woes are just as much Greece’s fault given its deeply troubled political class, its culture of tax evasion and the wild overspending in this Mediterranean nation after <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/in-greece-the-money-flowed-freely-until-it-didnt/2012/06/14/gJQA7Z4YcV_story.html">adoption of the euro in 2001</a>.</p> <p>Merkel is facing <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/germanys-central-bank-chief-fights-new-steps-to-contain-debt-crisis/2012/10/02/85ac886c-0982-11e2-a10c-fa5a255a9258_story.html">intense pressure</a> at home to be tough with the Greeks and to spell out in firm terms that there is no alternative to more pain if they want to stay on the euro. Yet in recent months, Merkel has seemed to tone down her rhetoric on Germany’s troubled neighbors. While insisting countries like Greece must continue making hard adjustments, she has increasingly acknowledged the heavy toll that cuts are taking.</p> <p>And Greeks such as Panagiotis Korliras, a leading economist here, say Merkel should be given substantial credit for facing her toughest critics by visiting Athens. Merkel’s trip Tuesday forced Korliras to close his office because of the anti-Merkel protests called in nearby Syntagma Square. But he is pleased that she decided to visit. It shows, he said, that Merkel is backing up her public words — she has repeatedly said she wants to see Greece stay in the euro zone — with deeds.</p> <p>“It’s a signal that somehow, Germany will keep Greece safely in the euro,” Korliras said before Merkel’s arrival. “She’s coming to say, ‘Help us help you.’ ”</p> <p class="trailer"> <p class="trailleft">Elinda Labropoulou in Athens and Howard Schneider in Washington contributed to this report.</p> </p> </article>, last_modified=1349867705, slug=greece, site_service_lookup=/world/europe, created_date_num=1349710320, thumbnail={aspect_ratio=1.5, featured={aspect_ratio=1.5, credit_line=Kostas Tsironis / BLOOMBERG, credit_organization=BLOOMBERG, raw_caption=Anti-austerity protestors wave banners and shout slogans as they protest ahead of a visit by Angela Merkel, Germany's chancellor, in Athens, Greece, on Monday, Oct. 8, 2012. Greece's need for bailouts and the German-led conditions attached to the emergency loans have made Merkel the face of austerity to Greeks. Photographer: Kostas Tsironis/Bloomberg, credit_name=Kostas Tsironis, width=3000, caption=Anti-Austerity Protest Ahead Of German Chancellor's Visit, credit=null, url=https://img.washingtonpost.com/rw/2010-2019/WashingtonPost/2012/10/08/Foreign/Images/1106175.jpg, height=2000}, credit_line=Kostas Tsironis / BLOOMBERG, credit_organization=BLOOMBERG, raw_caption=Anti-austerity protestors wave banners and shout slogans as they protest ahead of a visit by Angela Merkel, Germany's chancellor, in Athens, Greece, on Monday, Oct. 8, 2012. Greece's need for bailouts and the German-led conditions attached to the emergency loans have made Merkel the face of austerity to Greeks. Photographer: Kostas Tsironis/Bloomberg, credit_name=Kostas Tsironis, width=3000, caption=Anti-Austerity Protest Ahead Of German Chancellor's Visit, credit=null, url=https://img.washingtonpost.com/rw/2010-2019/WashingtonPost/2012/10/08/Foreign/Images/1106175.jpg, height=2000}, tertiary_slot=null, meta_title=null, include_in_site_search=true, published_date_num=1349769720, comment_count_fuzzy=null, canonical_url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/germany-faces-image-problem-in-greece-thanks-to-its-growing-clout/2012/10/09/5d39d49c-115d-11e2-9a39-1f5a7f6fe945_story.html, mobile_headline=Germany faces European mistrust, web_sked={}, html_data={img_count=0, graf_count=26, char_count=8428}, tags=[], _service_=com.washingtonpost.webapps.pagebuilder.services.ArticleContentService, social_headline=, display_date=1349797860, meta={}, _id=http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/germany-faces-image-problem-in-greece-thanks-to-its-growing-clout/2012/10/09/5d39d49c-115d-11e2-9a39-1f5a7f6fe945_story.html, publication_start=1349769600, redirect_url=null, primary_slot_as_full_width_html=<div class="inline-content inline-gallery-embedded"> <link href="//www.washingtonpost.com/pb/gr/c/ssiSingle/r0DtBpwKo8Tvoq/css/d9cb19704f.css?_=67e56" rel="stylesheet"/> <link href="//www.washingtonpost.com/pb/gr/p/ssiSingle/r0DtBpwKo8Tvoq/style.css?_=1f771" rel="stylesheet"/> <script>window.pbDeferredSSISingle=window.pbDeferredSSISingle||new Array;</script> <div class="pb-container"> <div class="pb-feature-ssi-single pb-f-theme-normal pb-f-dehydrate-false pb-f-async-false pb-3 pb-feature pb-layout-item pb-f-gallery-gallery" data-chain-name="no-name" data-feature-name="no-name" data-feature-id="gallery/gallery" data-pb-fingerprint="0fh3taXsipu" data-pb-feature-config="gallery/gallery" id="fVVe782Ko8Tvoq"> <div class="wp-volt-gal unprocessed wp-volt-gal-p-end-circular wp-volt-gal-promo-stub wp-volt-gal-on-promo-slide wp-volt-gal-embed-promo wp-volt-gal-embed-promo-hide" data-title="In Greece, demonstrators protest amid Merkel visit" data-commercial-node="business/economy" data-section="business" data-subsection="economy" data-category="National-Economy" data-published="1349791378" data-first-published="1349791378" data-slug="in-greece-demonstrators-protest-amid-merkel-visit" data-uuid="6a19cc8c-1205-11e2-be82-c3411b7680a9" data-permalink="http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/in-greece-demonstrators-protest-amid-merkel-visit/2012/10/09/6a19cc8c-1205-11e2-be82-c3411b7680a9_gallery.html" data-show-preroll="true" data-preroll-zone="" data-show-interstitials="true" data-debug="false" data-keywords="[angela merkel visits greece, greek protests, germany, greece, austerity measures, merkel, german chancellor merkel, euro crisis, euro-zone crisis, euro debt crisis, merkel faces protests, greek riot police, ]" data-blurb="German Chancellor Angela Merkel visits Greece on Oct. 9 for the first time since the euro-zone crisis began. In Athens, about 7,000 police officers seek to contain protesters who blame Germany for the country’s economic woes."> <div class="wp-volt-gal-bar"> <div class="wp-volt-gal-nav"> <div class="wp-volt-gal-nav-full-gal"><a href="" data-pb-field="custom.navPromoLabel" data-pb-url-field="custom.navPromoLink" data-pb-placeholder="View More Label"></a></div> <div class="wp-volt-gal-nav-number"><span class="wp-volt-gal-nav-number-current">1</span> of 15</span></div> <div class="wp-volt-gal-nav-buttons"> <div class="wp-volt-gal-nav-button wp-volt-gal-nav-prev"></div> <div class="wp-volt-gal-nav-button wp-volt-gal-nav-next"></div> </div> </div> <div class="wp-volt-gal-buttons"> <div class="wp-volt-gal-button wp-volt-gal-button-fullscreen">Full Screen</div> <div class="wp-volt-gal-button wp-volt-gal-button-autoplay">Autoplay</div> <div class="wp-volt-gal-bar-pie"></div> <div class="wp-volt-gal-button wp-volt-gal-button-close">Close</div> </div> </div> <div class="wp-volt-gal-main"> <div class="wp-volt-gal-photos"> <div class="wp-volt-gal-slide wp-volt-gal-photo" data-uuid="9c767cf6-1206-11e2-be82-c3411b7680a9" data-caption="Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras welcomes German Chancellor Angela Merkel before their meeting in Athens. Merkel is on her first visit to Greece since the debt crisis erupted almost three years ago, as protesters geared up for a major show of discontent against painful austerity cuts." data-buy="false" data-credit="Aris Messinis/AFP/Getty Images" data-title="Oct. 9, 2012" data-max-width="4928" data-image="https://www.washingtonpost.com/rw/2010-2019/WashingtonPost/2012/10/09/National-Economy/Images/514495462.jpg?env=A" data-ratio="1.502"> <div class='wp-volt-gal-slide-gal-title'></div> </div> <div class="wp-volt-gal-slide wp-volt-gal-photo" data-uuid="5e6a753e-1206-11e2-be82-c3411b7680a9" data-caption="The Acropolis is seen during the sun set in Athens prior to a union anti-austerity rally the day before the visit by Merkel. The authorities are keen to prevent embarrassing riots. More than 7,000 police will be on security duty in the capital from early Tuesday, while public gatherings will be banned in much of the city center. The ban will not affect the main protests but will prevent demonstrators from reaching the German Embassy, where a populist right-wing party was planning a protest." data-buy="false" data-credit="Dimitri Messinis/AP" data-title="Oct. 8, 2012" data-max-width="4500" data-image="https://www.washingtonpost.com/rw/2010-2019/WashingtonPost/2012/10/09/National-Economy/Images/APTOPIX_Greece_Financial_Crisis_0d371.jpg?env=A" data-ratio="2.08"> </div> <div class="wp-volt-gal-slide wp-volt-gal-photo" data-uuid="6fd52aae-1205-11e2-be82-c3411b7680a9" data-caption="Greek security personnel position a barrier across a street near the Parliament building in Athens. Merkel, who meets Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras and President Karolos Papoulias in Athens on Tuesday during a six-hour visit, will probably reinforce statements from European finance ministers yesterday saluting Greece&#039;s determination to trim its budget while demanding further steps to reshape its economy." data-buy="false" data-credit="Kostas Tsironis/Bloomberg News" data-title="Oct. 9, 2012" data-max-width="4000" data-image="https://www.washingtonpost.com/rw/2010-2019/WashingtonPost/2012/10/09/National-Economy/Images/1106625.jpg?env=A" data-ratio="1.5"> </div> <div class="wp-volt-gal-slide wp-volt-gal-photo" data-uuid="0b06d38c-1216-11e2-be82-c3411b7680a9" data-caption="Protesters clash with riot police protecting the Greek Parliament in Athens during a demonstration against Merkel’s visit. Police fired tear gas to disperse protesters who tried to storm a steel barricade near Parliament as Merkel held meetings with Greek leaders a few blocks away." data-buy="false" data-credit="Louisa Gouliamaki/AFP/Getty Images" data-title="Oct. 9. 2012" data-max-width="4256" data-image="https://www.washingtonpost.com/rw/2010-2019/WashingtonPost/2012/10/09/National-Economy/Images/514496736.jpg?env=A" data-ratio="1.503"> </div> <div class="wp-volt-gal-slide wp-volt-gal-photo" data-uuid="28ea0e64-1216-11e2-be82-c3411b7680a9" data-caption="Demonstrators dressed as Nazi soldiers wave a Nazi flag as they ride in an open-top car in Syntagma Square in Athens to protest Merkel&#039;s visit." data-buy="false" data-credit="Yannis Behrakis/Reuters" data-title="Oct. 9. 2012 " data-max-width="3500" data-image="https://www.washingtonpost.com/rw/2010-2019/WashingtonPost/2012/10/09/National-Economy/Images/2012-10-09T122944Z_01_JMR19_RTRIDSP_3_GREECE-MERKEL.jpg?env=A" data-ratio="1.437"> </div> <div class="wp-volt-gal-slide wp-volt-gal-photo" data-uuid="1f2afb4a-1216-11e2-be82-c3411b7680a9" data-caption="The deep resentment on display in Greece underscored the obstacles ahead for Merkel’s quest for a more thoroughly integrated European Union. Merkel’s trip has been portrayed in Germany as part of a charm offensive to soften her regional image." data-buy="false" data-credit="Yannis Behrakis/Reuters" data-title="Oct. 9, 2012 " data-max-width="2249" data-image="https://www.washingtonpost.com/rw/2010-2019/WashingtonPost/2012/10/09/National-Economy/Images/2012-10-09T125506Z_01_JMR24_RTRIDSP_3_GREECE-MERKEL.jpg?env=A" data-ratio="1.765"> </div> <div class="wp-volt-gal-slide wp-volt-gal-photo" data-uuid="8bc47314-1205-11e2-be82-c3411b7680a9" data-caption="Protesters stand with a placard reading &#034;Frau Merkel Get Out,&#034; or “Mrs. Merkel Get Out,” outside the Greek Parliament building." data-buy="false" data-credit="Kostas Tsironis/Bloomberg News" data-title="Oct. 9, 2012" data-max-width="4000" data-image="https://www.washingtonpost.com/rw/2010-2019/WashingtonPost/2012/10/09/National-Economy/Images/1106619.jpg?env=A" data-ratio="1.5"> </div> <div class="wp-volt-gal-slide wp-volt-gal-photo" data-uuid="7351a34e-1186-11e2-be82-c3411b7680a9" data-caption="Guards stand during an anti-austerity protest ahead of a visit by Merkel. Greece&#039;s need for bailouts and the German-led conditions attached to the emergency loans have made Merkel the face of austerity to Greeks." data-buy="false" data-credit="Kostas Tsironis/Bloomberg News" data-title="Oct. 8, 2012" data-max-width="3000" data-image="https://www.washingtonpost.com/rw/2010-2019/WashingtonPost/2012/10/08/Foreign/Images/1106161.jpg?env=A" data-ratio="1.527"> </div> <div class="wp-volt-gal-slide wp-volt-gal-photo" data-uuid="9b24197c-1205-11e2-be82-c3411b7680a9" data-caption="An anti-austerity protester waves a banner during a rally ahead of Merkel&#039;s visit." data-buy="false" data-credit="Kostas Tsironis/Bloomberg News" data-title="Oct. 8, 2012" data-max-width="3000" data-image="https://www.washingtonpost.com/rw/2010-2019/WashingtonPost/2012/10/09/National-Economy/Images/1106179.jpg?env=A" data-ratio="1.45"> </div> <div class="wp-volt-gal-slide wp-volt-gal-photo" data-uuid="2dd5160e-1206-11e2-be82-c3411b7680a9" data-caption="A pensioner pushes riot police officers during scuffles between protesting pensioners and police near the E.U. offices in Athens. About 500 pensioners participated in an anti-austerity march." data-buy="false" data-credit="Yannis Behrakis/Reuters" data-title="Oct. 8, 2012" data-max-width="3452" data-image="https://www.washingtonpost.com/rw/2010-2019/WashingtonPost/2012/10/09/National-Economy/Images/2012-10-08T105116Z_01_YAN04_RTRIDSP_3_GREECE.jpg?env=A" data-ratio="1.453"> </div> <div class="wp-volt-gal-slide wp-volt-gal-photo" data-uuid="3bcfa062-1206-11e2-be82-c3411b7680a9" data-caption="Pensioners burn an E.U. flag during a march toward the E.U. offices in central Athens." data-buy="false" data-credit="Yannis Behrakis/Reuters" data-title="Oct. 8, 2012" data-max-width="3500" data-image="https://www.washingtonpost.com/rw/2010-2019/WashingtonPost/2012/10/09/National-Economy/Images/2012-10-08T111159Z_01_YAN09_RTRIDSP_3_GREECE.jpg?env=A" data-ratio="1.5"> </div> <div class="wp-volt-gal-slide wp-volt-gal-photo" data-uuid="6c469ae6-1186-11e2-be82-c3411b7680a9" data-caption="Protesters holding banners rally outside the Greek Parliament in Athens a day before Merkel&#039;s visit. If her protest-plagued trip shined a spotlight on struggling Greece, it also highlighted a problem for a resurgent Germany: its image." data-buy="false" data-credit="Kostas Tsironis/Bloomberg News" data-title="Oct. 8, 2012" data-max-width="3000" data-image="https://www.washingtonpost.com/rw/2010-2019/WashingtonPost/2012/10/08/Foreign/Images/1106175.jpg?env=A" data-ratio="1.5"> </div> <div class="wp-volt-gal-slide wp-volt-gal-photo" data-uuid="69533616-1206-11e2-be82-c3411b7680a9" data-caption="Protesters holding banners rally outside the Greek Parliament in Athens during a union anti-austerity rally. Banners read, &#034;Merkel don&#039;t cry,&#034; &#034;Sabotage to the German products&#034; and &#034;Resist against the 4th Reich.&#034;" data-buy="false" data-credit="Thanassis Stavrakis/AP" data-title="Oct. 8, 2012" data-max-width="4500" data-image="https://www.washingtonpost.com/rw/2010-2019/WashingtonPost/2012/10/09/National-Economy/Images/Greece_Financial_Crisis_0e9b0.jpg?env=A" data-ratio="1.604"> </div> <div class="wp-volt-gal-slide wp-volt-gal-photo" data-uuid="85aa1294-1206-11e2-be82-c3411b7680a9" data-caption="Civilians are detained as a precaution by riot police before a protest in Athens. The German chancellor’s five-hour stop is seen by the government as a historic boost for the country&#039;s future in Europe&#039;s shared currency but by protesters as a harbinger of more austerity and hardship." data-buy="false" data-credit="Dimitri Messinis/AP" data-title="Oct. 9, 2012" data-max-width="4500" data-image="https://www.washingtonpost.com/rw/2010-2019/WashingtonPost/2012/10/09/National-Economy/Images/Greece_Financial_Crisis_Merkel_0606c.jpg?env=A" data-ratio="1.622"> </div> <div class="wp-volt-gal-slide wp-volt-gal-photo" data-uuid="c82d1b48-1215-11e2-be82-c3411b7680a9" data-caption="The leader of the main opposition party Syriza, Alexis Tsipras, is greeted by supporters during a protest in Athens. With Germany’s weight poised to grow even further, the right wing Independent Greeks, barred from the German Embassy by police, was set to rally in front of the Temple of Zeus to protest “the transformation of Greece into a German protectorate.”" data-buy="false" data-credit="Lefteris Pitarakis/AP" data-title="Oct. 9, 2012 " data-max-width="4500" data-image="https://www.washingtonpost.com/rw/2010-2019/WashingtonPost/2012/10/09/National-Economy/Images/APTOPIX_Greece_Financial_Crisis_Merkel_02f03.jpg?env=A" data-ratio="1.619"> </div> </div> <div class="wp-volt-gal-title-overlay"> <div class="wp-volt-gal-title-backdrop"></div> <div class="wp-volt-gal-title-gradient"></div> <div class="wp-volt-gal-title-holder"> <div class="wp-volt-gal-title-main"></div> <div class="wp-volt-gal-title-subtitle"></div> </div> </div> <div class="wp-volt-gal-ad" data-ads="true"> <div class="wp-volt-gal-ad-wrap"> <wp-ad id="slug_bigbox_gallery" data-manual-render="true"></wp-ad> </div> <div class="wp-volt-gal-ad-skip"> <div class="wp-volt-gal-ad-pie"></div> <div class="wp-volt-gal-ad-skiptext">Skip Ad</div> </div> </div> <div class="wp-volt-gal-close-fullscreen"><i class="close">&#215;</i></div> <div class="wp-volt-gal-main-nav wp-volt-gal-main-nav-prev"><i class="fa fa-angle-left"></i></div> <div class="wp-volt-gal-main-nav wp-volt-gal-main-nav-zoom"></div> <div class="wp-volt-gal-main-nav wp-volt-gal-main-nav-next"><i class="fa fa-angle-right"></i></div> <div class="wp-volt-gal-preroll"> <div class="wp-volt-gal-preroll-video"></div> <div class="wp-volt-gal-preroll-text"></div> </div> </div> <div class="wp-volt-gal-embed-promo-container"> <div class="wp-volt-gal-embed-promo-container-table"> <div class="wp-volt-gal-embed-promo-top"><span class="cell">In Greece, demonstrators protest amid Merkel visit</span></div> <div class="wp-volt-gal-embed-promo-mid"> <div class="cell"> <div class="wp-volt-gal-embed-promo-mid-img-container"> <img alt="" src="https://img.washingtonpost.com/rf/image_606w/2010-2019/WashingtonPost/2012/10/09/National-Economy/Images/514496736-1255.jpg"/> </div> <div class="wp-volt-gal-embed-promo-mid-label"><i class="fa fa-camera"></i>View Photos</div> </div> </div> <div class="wp-volt-gal-embed-promo-bottom"><span class="cell">German Chancellor Angela Merkel visits Greece on Oct. 9 for the first time since the euro-zone crisis began. In Athens, about 7,000 police officers seek to contain protesters who blame Germany for the country’s economic woes.</span></div> </div> </div> <div class="wp-volt-gal-details"> <div class="wp-volt-gal-details-handle">Caption</div> <div class="wp-volt-gal-details-wrap"> <div class="wp-volt-gal-details-main"> <div class="wp-volt-gal-blurb">German Chancellor Angela Merkel visits Greece on Oct. 9 for the first time since the euro-zone crisis began. In Athens, about 7,000 police officers seek to contain protesters who blame Germany for the country’s economic woes.</div> <div class="wp-volt-gal-caption"> <span class="wp-volt-gal-caption-title">Oct. 9, 2012</span> <span class="wp-volt-gal-caption-text">Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras welcomes German Chancellor Angela Merkel before their meeting in Athens. Merkel is on her first visit to Greece since the debt crisis erupted almost three years ago, as protesters geared up for a major show of discontent against painful austerity cuts.</span> <span class="wp-volt-gal-caption-credit">Aris Messinis/AFP/Getty Images</span> </div> <a class="wp-volt-gal-buy-link" href="#" target="_blank">Buy Photo</a> </div> </div> </div> <div class="wp-volt-gal-templates"> <div class="wp-volt-gal-pie"> <div class="wp-volt-gal-pie-anim wp-volt-gal-pie-inner wp-volt-gal-pie-spinner"></div> <div class="wp-volt-gal-pie-anim wp-volt-gal-pie-inner wp-volt-gal-pie-filler"></div> <div class="wp-volt-gal-pie-anim wp-volt-gal-pie-mask"></div> </div> <div class="wp-volt-gal-interstitial-text">Wait 1 second to continue.</div> </div> </div> <style>.wp-volt-gal-preroll-video{width:100%;height:100%}</style> </div> </div> <div class="clear"></div> <script>(function(){var __e=window.__e||[],ssiSingleFooter={initComplete:false,init:function(){pbDeferredSSISingle.push("https://d2p9l91d5g68ru.cloudfront.net/PrerollPlugin/PrerollPlugin.min.js");pbDeferredSSISingle.push("//www.washingtonpost.com/pb/gr/p/ssiSingle/r0DtBpwKo8Tvoq/hi-pri-render.js?_\x3d1f771");pbDeferredSSISingle.push("//www.washingtonpost.com/pb/gr/p/ssiSingle/r0DtBpwKo8Tvoq/render.js?_\x3d1f771");pbDeferredSSISingle.push("//www.washingtonpost.com/pb/gr/p/ssiSingle/r0DtBpwKo8Tvoq/instance.js?_\x3d1f771"); wp_import(pbDeferredSSISingle).always(function(){initComplete=true})}};if(typeof wp_pb.StaticMethods=="undefined"||typeof wp_pb.StaticMethods.isPageHydrated=="undefined"||wp_pb.StaticMethods.isPageHydrated())if(!ssiSingleFooter.initComplete&&(document.readyState=="interactive"||document.readyState=="complete"))ssiSingleFooter.init();else document.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded",function(){ssiSingleFooter.init()});__e.push(["shamble",function(){ssiSingleFooter.init()}])})();</script> </div>, status={color=458b00, name=Live, cms=Methode, raw=WPStories/Published, slug=live}, last_modified_num=1349867705, site_node=/world/europe, title=null, story_type=null, display_date_num=1349797860, site_service_id=deprecated, object_hash=1527166817, secondary_slot=null, sub_type=null, creator_by_item_role={By=[{lastName=Faiola, role=Bureau Chief, education=[{name=Florida International University, BA in communications}], bio=Anthony Faiola is The Washington Post’s South America/Caribbean bureau chief. Since joining the paper in 1994, he has served as bureau chief in Berlin, London, Tokyo, Buenos Aires and New York. He has also covered global economics from Washington. , employeeID=000008021, expertise=Correspondent covering Latin America, Venezuela, Argentina, Brazil, human rights, poverty, globalization and economics, twitter=@Anthony_Faiola, beat=South America and the Caribbean , bio_page=https://www.washingtonpost.com/people/anthony-faiola/, byline=Anthony Faiola, email=anthony.faiola@washpost.com, slug=anthony-faiola, fuzzySearch=true, image=https://s3.amazonaws.com/arc-authors/washpost/deb38c91-f6a9-4d33-b728-a47784e926bd.png, gplus=https://plus.google.com/116230017616622259792, last_updated=2018-04-13T20:17:52.954Z, longBio=Anthony Faiola is The Washington Post's South America/Caribbean bureau chief. Faiola joined The Post in 1994 and has reported for the paper from more than 40 countries on six continents and served as bureau chief in Tokyo, Buenos Aires, New York, London and Berlin. From Washington, he has also covered global economics and the U.S. financial crisis. Faiola graduated from Florida International University in 1990 and began his journalism career at the Miami Herald., languages=Spanish, facebook=https://www.facebook.com/anthony.faiola, author_type=Staff , firstName=Anthony, podcasts=[], books=[], awards=[{name=Winner, National Press Foundation’s Innovative Storytelling Award}, {name=Winner, Cine Award}, {name=Finalist, Overseas Press Award }, {name=Winner, Maryland-DC-Virginia Press Association Award}], desk=Foreign, name=Anthony Faiola, location=Miami, _id=faiolaam, in_byline=true, item_role=By}]}, _config_={path=http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/germany-faces-image-problem-in-greece-thanks-to-its-growing-clout/2012/10/09/5d39d49c-115d-11e2-9a39-1f5a7f6fe945_story.html}, summary=As Angela Merkel visits Greece, Germany is reviled as Europe’s fiscal disciplinarian., tertiary_slot_as_full_width_html=<div></div>, creator=[{lastName=Faiola, role=Bureau Chief, education=[{name=Florida International University, BA in communications}], bio=Anthony Faiola is The Washington Post’s South America/Caribbean bureau chief. Since joining the paper in 1994, he has served as bureau chief in Berlin, London, Tokyo, Buenos Aires and New York. He has also covered global economics from Washington. , employeeID=000008021, expertise=Correspondent covering Latin America, Venezuela, Argentina, Brazil, human rights, poverty, globalization and economics, twitter=@Anthony_Faiola, beat=South America and the Caribbean , bio_page=https://www.washingtonpost.com/people/anthony-faiola/, byline=Anthony Faiola, email=anthony.faiola@washpost.com, slug=anthony-faiola, fuzzySearch=true, image=https://s3.amazonaws.com/arc-authors/washpost/deb38c91-f6a9-4d33-b728-a47784e926bd.png, gplus=https://plus.google.com/116230017616622259792, last_updated=2018-04-13T20:17:52.954Z, longBio=Anthony Faiola is The Washington Post's South America/Caribbean bureau chief. Faiola joined The Post in 1994 and has reported for the paper from more than 40 countries on six continents and served as bureau chief in Tokyo, Buenos Aires, New York, London and Berlin. From Washington, he has also covered global economics and the U.S. financial crisis. Faiola graduated from Florida International University in 1990 and began his journalism career at the Miami Herald., languages=Spanish, facebook=https://www.facebook.com/anthony.faiola, author_type=Staff , firstName=Anthony, podcasts=[], books=[], awards=[{name=Winner, National Press Foundation’s Innovative Storytelling Award}, {name=Winner, Cine Award}, {name=Finalist, Overseas Press Award }, {name=Winner, Maryland-DC-Virginia Press Association Award}], desk=Foreign, name=Anthony Faiola, location=Miami, _id=faiolaam, in_byline=true, item_role=By}], publishing_status={name=Live, slug=live}, decoded_headline=null, web_type=article_story, content_origin=methode, loid=null, uri=/2010-2019/WashingtonPost/2012/10/08/Foreign/Stories/greece.xml, url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/germany-faces-image-problem-in-greece-thanks-to-its-growing-clout/2012/10/09/5d39d49c-115d-11e2-9a39-1f5a7f6fe945_story.html, primary_slot_html=<div class="inline-content inline-gallery-embedded"> <link href="//www.washingtonpost.com/pb/gr/c/ssiSingle/r0DtBpwKo8Tvoq/css/d9cb19704f.css?_=67e56" rel="stylesheet"/> <link href="//www.washingtonpost.com/pb/gr/p/ssiSingle/r0DtBpwKo8Tvoq/style.css?_=1f771" rel="stylesheet"/> <script>window.pbDeferredSSISingle=window.pbDeferredSSISingle||new Array;</script> <div class="pb-container"> <div class="pb-feature-ssi-single pb-f-theme-normal pb-f-dehydrate-false pb-f-async-false pb-3 pb-feature pb-layout-item pb-f-gallery-gallery" data-chain-name="no-name" data-feature-name="no-name" data-feature-id="gallery/gallery" data-pb-fingerprint="0fh3taXsipu" data-pb-feature-config="gallery/gallery" id="fVVe782Ko8Tvoq"> <div class="wp-volt-gal unprocessed wp-volt-gal-p-end-circular wp-volt-gal-promo-stub wp-volt-gal-on-promo-slide wp-volt-gal-embed-promo wp-volt-gal-embed-promo-hide" data-title="In Greece, demonstrators protest amid Merkel visit" data-commercial-node="business/economy" data-section="business" data-subsection="economy" data-category="National-Economy" data-published="1349791378" data-first-published="1349791378" data-slug="in-greece-demonstrators-protest-amid-merkel-visit" data-uuid="6a19cc8c-1205-11e2-be82-c3411b7680a9" data-permalink="http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/in-greece-demonstrators-protest-amid-merkel-visit/2012/10/09/6a19cc8c-1205-11e2-be82-c3411b7680a9_gallery.html" data-show-preroll="true" data-preroll-zone="" data-show-interstitials="true" data-debug="false" data-keywords="[angela merkel visits greece, greek protests, germany, greece, austerity measures, merkel, german chancellor merkel, euro crisis, euro-zone crisis, euro debt crisis, merkel faces protests, greek riot police, ]" data-blurb="German Chancellor Angela Merkel visits Greece on Oct. 9 for the first time since the euro-zone crisis began. In Athens, about 7,000 police officers seek to contain protesters who blame Germany for the country’s economic woes."> <div class="wp-volt-gal-bar"> <div class="wp-volt-gal-nav"> <div class="wp-volt-gal-nav-full-gal"><a href="" data-pb-field="custom.navPromoLabel" data-pb-url-field="custom.navPromoLink" data-pb-placeholder="View More Label"></a></div> <div class="wp-volt-gal-nav-number"><span class="wp-volt-gal-nav-number-current">1</span> of 15</span></div> <div class="wp-volt-gal-nav-buttons"> <div class="wp-volt-gal-nav-button wp-volt-gal-nav-prev"></div> <div class="wp-volt-gal-nav-button wp-volt-gal-nav-next"></div> </div> </div> <div class="wp-volt-gal-buttons"> <div class="wp-volt-gal-button wp-volt-gal-button-fullscreen">Full Screen</div> <div class="wp-volt-gal-button wp-volt-gal-button-autoplay">Autoplay</div> <div class="wp-volt-gal-bar-pie"></div> <div class="wp-volt-gal-button wp-volt-gal-button-close">Close</div> </div> </div> <div class="wp-volt-gal-main"> <div class="wp-volt-gal-photos"> <div class="wp-volt-gal-slide wp-volt-gal-photo" data-uuid="9c767cf6-1206-11e2-be82-c3411b7680a9" data-caption="Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras welcomes German Chancellor Angela Merkel before their meeting in Athens. Merkel is on her first visit to Greece since the debt crisis erupted almost three years ago, as protesters geared up for a major show of discontent against painful austerity cuts." data-buy="false" data-credit="Aris Messinis/AFP/Getty Images" data-title="Oct. 9, 2012" data-max-width="4928" data-image="https://www.washingtonpost.com/rw/2010-2019/WashingtonPost/2012/10/09/National-Economy/Images/514495462.jpg?env=A" data-ratio="1.502"> <div class='wp-volt-gal-slide-gal-title'></div> </div> <div class="wp-volt-gal-slide wp-volt-gal-photo" data-uuid="5e6a753e-1206-11e2-be82-c3411b7680a9" data-caption="The Acropolis is seen during the sun set in Athens prior to a union anti-austerity rally the day before the visit by Merkel. The authorities are keen to prevent embarrassing riots. More than 7,000 police will be on security duty in the capital from early Tuesday, while public gatherings will be banned in much of the city center. The ban will not affect the main protests but will prevent demonstrators from reaching the German Embassy, where a populist right-wing party was planning a protest." data-buy="false" data-credit="Dimitri Messinis/AP" data-title="Oct. 8, 2012" data-max-width="4500" data-image="https://www.washingtonpost.com/rw/2010-2019/WashingtonPost/2012/10/09/National-Economy/Images/APTOPIX_Greece_Financial_Crisis_0d371.jpg?env=A" data-ratio="2.08"> </div> <div class="wp-volt-gal-slide wp-volt-gal-photo" data-uuid="6fd52aae-1205-11e2-be82-c3411b7680a9" data-caption="Greek security personnel position a barrier across a street near the Parliament building in Athens. Merkel, who meets Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras and President Karolos Papoulias in Athens on Tuesday during a six-hour visit, will probably reinforce statements from European finance ministers yesterday saluting Greece&#039;s determination to trim its budget while demanding further steps to reshape its economy." data-buy="false" data-credit="Kostas Tsironis/Bloomberg News" data-title="Oct. 9, 2012" data-max-width="4000" data-image="https://www.washingtonpost.com/rw/2010-2019/WashingtonPost/2012/10/09/National-Economy/Images/1106625.jpg?env=A" data-ratio="1.5"> </div> <div class="wp-volt-gal-slide wp-volt-gal-photo" data-uuid="0b06d38c-1216-11e2-be82-c3411b7680a9" data-caption="Protesters clash with riot police protecting the Greek Parliament in Athens during a demonstration against Merkel’s visit. Police fired tear gas to disperse protesters who tried to storm a steel barricade near Parliament as Merkel held meetings with Greek leaders a few blocks away." data-buy="false" data-credit="Louisa Gouliamaki/AFP/Getty Images" data-title="Oct. 9. 2012" data-max-width="4256" data-image="https://www.washingtonpost.com/rw/2010-2019/WashingtonPost/2012/10/09/National-Economy/Images/514496736.jpg?env=A" data-ratio="1.503"> </div> <div class="wp-volt-gal-slide wp-volt-gal-photo" data-uuid="28ea0e64-1216-11e2-be82-c3411b7680a9" data-caption="Demonstrators dressed as Nazi soldiers wave a Nazi flag as they ride in an open-top car in Syntagma Square in Athens to protest Merkel&#039;s visit." data-buy="false" data-credit="Yannis Behrakis/Reuters" data-title="Oct. 9. 2012 " data-max-width="3500" data-image="https://www.washingtonpost.com/rw/2010-2019/WashingtonPost/2012/10/09/National-Economy/Images/2012-10-09T122944Z_01_JMR19_RTRIDSP_3_GREECE-MERKEL.jpg?env=A" data-ratio="1.437"> </div> <div class="wp-volt-gal-slide wp-volt-gal-photo" data-uuid="1f2afb4a-1216-11e2-be82-c3411b7680a9" data-caption="The deep resentment on display in Greece underscored the obstacles ahead for Merkel’s quest for a more thoroughly integrated European Union. Merkel’s trip has been portrayed in Germany as part of a charm offensive to soften her regional image." data-buy="false" data-credit="Yannis Behrakis/Reuters" data-title="Oct. 9, 2012 " data-max-width="2249" data-image="https://www.washingtonpost.com/rw/2010-2019/WashingtonPost/2012/10/09/National-Economy/Images/2012-10-09T125506Z_01_JMR24_RTRIDSP_3_GREECE-MERKEL.jpg?env=A" data-ratio="1.765"> </div> <div class="wp-volt-gal-slide wp-volt-gal-photo" data-uuid="8bc47314-1205-11e2-be82-c3411b7680a9" data-caption="Protesters stand with a placard reading &#034;Frau Merkel Get Out,&#034; or “Mrs. Merkel Get Out,” outside the Greek Parliament building." data-buy="false" data-credit="Kostas Tsironis/Bloomberg News" data-title="Oct. 9, 2012" data-max-width="4000" data-image="https://www.washingtonpost.com/rw/2010-2019/WashingtonPost/2012/10/09/National-Economy/Images/1106619.jpg?env=A" data-ratio="1.5"> </div> <div class="wp-volt-gal-slide wp-volt-gal-photo" data-uuid="7351a34e-1186-11e2-be82-c3411b7680a9" data-caption="Guards stand during an anti-austerity protest ahead of a visit by Merkel. Greece&#039;s need for bailouts and the German-led conditions attached to the emergency loans have made Merkel the face of austerity to Greeks." data-buy="false" data-credit="Kostas Tsironis/Bloomberg News" data-title="Oct. 8, 2012" data-max-width="3000" data-image="https://www.washingtonpost.com/rw/2010-2019/WashingtonPost/2012/10/08/Foreign/Images/1106161.jpg?env=A" data-ratio="1.527"> </div> <div class="wp-volt-gal-slide wp-volt-gal-photo" data-uuid="9b24197c-1205-11e2-be82-c3411b7680a9" data-caption="An anti-austerity protester waves a banner during a rally ahead of Merkel&#039;s visit." data-buy="false" data-credit="Kostas Tsironis/Bloomberg News" data-title="Oct. 8, 2012" data-max-width="3000" data-image="https://www.washingtonpost.com/rw/2010-2019/WashingtonPost/2012/10/09/National-Economy/Images/1106179.jpg?env=A" data-ratio="1.45"> </div> <div class="wp-volt-gal-slide wp-volt-gal-photo" data-uuid="2dd5160e-1206-11e2-be82-c3411b7680a9" data-caption="A pensioner pushes riot police officers during scuffles between protesting pensioners and police near the E.U. offices in Athens. About 500 pensioners participated in an anti-austerity march." data-buy="false" data-credit="Yannis Behrakis/Reuters" data-title="Oct. 8, 2012" data-max-width="3452" data-image="https://www.washingtonpost.com/rw/2010-2019/WashingtonPost/2012/10/09/National-Economy/Images/2012-10-08T105116Z_01_YAN04_RTRIDSP_3_GREECE.jpg?env=A" data-ratio="1.453"> </div> <div class="wp-volt-gal-slide wp-volt-gal-photo" data-uuid="3bcfa062-1206-11e2-be82-c3411b7680a9" data-caption="Pensioners burn an E.U. flag during a march toward the E.U. offices in central Athens." data-buy="false" data-credit="Yannis Behrakis/Reuters" data-title="Oct. 8, 2012" data-max-width="3500" data-image="https://www.washingtonpost.com/rw/2010-2019/WashingtonPost/2012/10/09/National-Economy/Images/2012-10-08T111159Z_01_YAN09_RTRIDSP_3_GREECE.jpg?env=A" data-ratio="1.5"> </div> <div class="wp-volt-gal-slide wp-volt-gal-photo" data-uuid="6c469ae6-1186-11e2-be82-c3411b7680a9" data-caption="Protesters holding banners rally outside the Greek Parliament in Athens a day before Merkel&#039;s visit. If her protest-plagued trip shined a spotlight on struggling Greece, it also highlighted a problem for a resurgent Germany: its image." data-buy="false" data-credit="Kostas Tsironis/Bloomberg News" data-title="Oct. 8, 2012" data-max-width="3000" data-image="https://www.washingtonpost.com/rw/2010-2019/WashingtonPost/2012/10/08/Foreign/Images/1106175.jpg?env=A" data-ratio="1.5"> </div> <div class="wp-volt-gal-slide wp-volt-gal-photo" data-uuid="69533616-1206-11e2-be82-c3411b7680a9" data-caption="Protesters holding banners rally outside the Greek Parliament in Athens during a union anti-austerity rally. Banners read, &#034;Merkel don&#039;t cry,&#034; &#034;Sabotage to the German products&#034; and &#034;Resist against the 4th Reich.&#034;" data-buy="false" data-credit="Thanassis Stavrakis/AP" data-title="Oct. 8, 2012" data-max-width="4500" data-image="https://www.washingtonpost.com/rw/2010-2019/WashingtonPost/2012/10/09/National-Economy/Images/Greece_Financial_Crisis_0e9b0.jpg?env=A" data-ratio="1.604"> </div> <div class="wp-volt-gal-slide wp-volt-gal-photo" data-uuid="85aa1294-1206-11e2-be82-c3411b7680a9" data-caption="Civilians are detained as a precaution by riot police before a protest in Athens. The German chancellor’s five-hour stop is seen by the government as a historic boost for the country&#039;s future in Europe&#039;s shared currency but by protesters as a harbinger of more austerity and hardship." data-buy="false" data-credit="Dimitri Messinis/AP" data-title="Oct. 9, 2012" data-max-width="4500" data-image="https://www.washingtonpost.com/rw/2010-2019/WashingtonPost/2012/10/09/National-Economy/Images/Greece_Financial_Crisis_Merkel_0606c.jpg?env=A" data-ratio="1.622"> </div> <div class="wp-volt-gal-slide wp-volt-gal-photo" data-uuid="c82d1b48-1215-11e2-be82-c3411b7680a9" data-caption="The leader of the main opposition party Syriza, Alexis Tsipras, is greeted by supporters during a protest in Athens. With Germany’s weight poised to grow even further, the right wing Independent Greeks, barred from the German Embassy by police, was set to rally in front of the Temple of Zeus to protest “the transformation of Greece into a German protectorate.”" data-buy="false" data-credit="Lefteris Pitarakis/AP" data-title="Oct. 9, 2012 " data-max-width="4500" data-image="https://www.washingtonpost.com/rw/2010-2019/WashingtonPost/2012/10/09/National-Economy/Images/APTOPIX_Greece_Financial_Crisis_Merkel_02f03.jpg?env=A" data-ratio="1.619"> </div> </div> <div class="wp-volt-gal-title-overlay"> <div class="wp-volt-gal-title-backdrop"></div> <div class="wp-volt-gal-title-gradient"></div> <div class="wp-volt-gal-title-holder"> <div class="wp-volt-gal-title-main"></div> <div class="wp-volt-gal-title-subtitle"></div> </div> </div> <div class="wp-volt-gal-ad" data-ads="true"> <div class="wp-volt-gal-ad-wrap"> <wp-ad id="slug_bigbox_gallery" data-manual-render="true"></wp-ad> </div> <div class="wp-volt-gal-ad-skip"> <div class="wp-volt-gal-ad-pie"></div> <div class="wp-volt-gal-ad-skiptext">Skip Ad</div> </div> </div> <div class="wp-volt-gal-close-fullscreen"><i class="close">&#215;</i></div> <div class="wp-volt-gal-main-nav wp-volt-gal-main-nav-prev"><i class="fa fa-angle-left"></i></div> <div class="wp-volt-gal-main-nav wp-volt-gal-main-nav-zoom"></div> <div class="wp-volt-gal-main-nav wp-volt-gal-main-nav-next"><i class="fa fa-angle-right"></i></div> <div class="wp-volt-gal-preroll"> <div class="wp-volt-gal-preroll-video"></div> <div class="wp-volt-gal-preroll-text"></div> </div> </div> <div class="wp-volt-gal-embed-promo-container"> <div class="wp-volt-gal-embed-promo-container-table"> <div class="wp-volt-gal-embed-promo-top"><span class="cell">In Greece, demonstrators protest amid Merkel visit</span></div> <div class="wp-volt-gal-embed-promo-mid"> <div class="cell"> <div class="wp-volt-gal-embed-promo-mid-img-container"> <img alt="" src="https://img.washingtonpost.com/rf/image_606w/2010-2019/WashingtonPost/2012/10/09/National-Economy/Images/514496736-1255.jpg"/> </div> <div class="wp-volt-gal-embed-promo-mid-label"><i class="fa fa-camera"></i>View Photos</div> </div> </div> <div class="wp-volt-gal-embed-promo-bottom"><span class="cell">German Chancellor Angela Merkel visits Greece on Oct. 9 for the first time since the euro-zone crisis began. In Athens, about 7,000 police officers seek to contain protesters who blame Germany for the country’s economic woes.</span></div> </div> </div> <div class="wp-volt-gal-details"> <div class="wp-volt-gal-details-handle">Caption</div> <div class="wp-volt-gal-details-wrap"> <div class="wp-volt-gal-details-main"> <div class="wp-volt-gal-blurb">German Chancellor Angela Merkel visits Greece on Oct. 9 for the first time since the euro-zone crisis began. In Athens, about 7,000 police officers seek to contain protesters who blame Germany for the country’s economic woes.</div> <div class="wp-volt-gal-caption"> <span class="wp-volt-gal-caption-title">Oct. 9, 2012</span> <span class="wp-volt-gal-caption-text">Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras welcomes German Chancellor Angela Merkel before their meeting in Athens. Merkel is on her first visit to Greece since the debt crisis erupted almost three years ago, as protesters geared up for a major show of discontent against painful austerity cuts.</span> <span class="wp-volt-gal-caption-credit">Aris Messinis/AFP/Getty Images</span> </div> <a class="wp-volt-gal-buy-link" href="#" target="_blank">Buy Photo</a> </div> </div> </div> <div class="wp-volt-gal-templates"> <div class="wp-volt-gal-pie"> <div class="wp-volt-gal-pie-anim wp-volt-gal-pie-inner wp-volt-gal-pie-spinner"></div> <div class="wp-volt-gal-pie-anim wp-volt-gal-pie-inner wp-volt-gal-pie-filler"></div> <div class="wp-volt-gal-pie-anim wp-volt-gal-pie-mask"></div> </div> <div class="wp-volt-gal-interstitial-text">Wait 1 second to continue.</div> </div> </div> <style>.wp-volt-gal-preroll-video{width:100%;height:100%}</style> </div> </div> <div class="clear"></div> <script>(function(){var __e=window.__e||[],ssiSingleFooter={initComplete:false,init:function(){pbDeferredSSISingle.push("https://d2p9l91d5g68ru.cloudfront.net/PrerollPlugin/PrerollPlugin.min.js");pbDeferredSSISingle.push("//www.washingtonpost.com/pb/gr/p/ssiSingle/r0DtBpwKo8Tvoq/hi-pri-render.js?_\x3d1f771");pbDeferredSSISingle.push("//www.washingtonpost.com/pb/gr/p/ssiSingle/r0DtBpwKo8Tvoq/render.js?_\x3d1f771");pbDeferredSSISingle.push("//www.washingtonpost.com/pb/gr/p/ssiSingle/r0DtBpwKo8Tvoq/instance.js?_\x3d1f771"); wp_import(pbDeferredSSISingle).always(function(){initComplete=true})}};if(typeof wp_pb.StaticMethods=="undefined"||typeof wp_pb.StaticMethods.isPageHydrated=="undefined"||wp_pb.StaticMethods.isPageHydrated())if(!ssiSingleFooter.initComplete&&(document.readyState=="interactive"||document.readyState=="complete"))ssiSingleFooter.init();else document.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded",function(){ssiSingleFooter.init()});__e.push(["shamble",function(){ssiSingleFooter.init()}])})();</script> </div>, secondary_slot_as_full_width_html=, created_date=1349710320, publication_end=null, published_date=1349769720, commercial_node=/world, kicker={name=Europe, url=/world/europe}}

Anthony Faiola is The Washington Post’s South America/Caribbean bureau chief. Since joining the paper in 1994, he has served as bureau chief in Berlin, London, Tokyo, Buenos Aires and New York. He has also covered global economics from Washington.